An extraordinary time-lapse video capturing 2012’s Burning Man festival in delicate, miniature form shows if nothing else, how time really does fly when having fun.

Titled A Burning Man for Ants, the unique 12-minute video captures the five-day desert event of fire and crafts while using tilt-shift photography to create its whimsical toy model feel.

First opening the video to Nevada's black and white dusty desert, the more than 48,000 participants are seen trickling in to tepee-like checkpoints by cars and trailers – seen in another area by small planes.

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Arrival: Tiny event goers are seen arriving in trailers and RVs, with the creators' choice of tilt-shift photography making them seem like ants or toy models

Little people: The thousands of people are seen trickling through the white desert on bikes, uniquely crafted motorized vehicles and of course, while carrying their trusty umbrellas

Way to go: A man zooms by on a motorized chair, left, while a group pedals to move a bar on wheels, right

Hub: People chat around a yellow booth named the Hug Deli

Sights to see: A rusty old locomotive powers by in the foreground of an intricate wooden temple

Motor home: A two-story house is seen going by featuring a billowing smokestack occasionally puffing away

Land ho! In another area a ship dried up in the desert waves a tattered black mast in the wind, a creation that later in the night will shoot fire

As the event takes off more and more colour is added to the whimsical scenes, from the participants' clothing, bicycles, and their many umbrellas.

Things really take off with the introduction of their astonishing handcrafted city, however, that becomes a pure playground for adults.

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To provide transport for the people around the massive desert, one-of-a-kind vehicles seen swirling around the people.

In one scene a bar propelled by cyclists is seen whizzing among them, as well as a recliner on motorized wheels, a small yellow submarine, a traveling two-story house, a billowing locomotive, and a Double-Decker bus transporting valuable white-robed torch bearers.

Last stand: The wooden temple is seen visited by event goers, in just one of many beautiful and intricate structures that will ultimately be destroyed by fire

Torch bearers: As night creeps up on the event, people dressed in white robes go around lighting torches across the desert

Target: The Burning man is seen standing in the distance, the eventual victim of the people

Their creation: Seen from afar, the vibrant lights of the people's city shines through the otherwise ordinarily bare and dark Nevada desert

All ready: Come nightfall the Burning Man is seen lit up in neon lights as lasers dance around it

There he goes! The Burning Man earns his name while standing tall and triumphant among the people

But some of the obstacles for them to get around are even more striking.

Appearing embedded in the parched white earth, a wooden ship large enough for guests to climb aboard flies a tattered black mast while its bow at night is seen shooting flames.

A giant Sphinx-like dog is seen perched with tiny people scaling to its top.

A massive wooden temple is also seen with its intricate spire reaching several stories in height.

With any true time-lapse, night eventually falls upon the tiny people.

However as the sun drops below their horizon, the neon lights, lasers, smoke, DJs and dance parties break out, creating its own city of lights that could outshine those seen in nearby Las Vegas – at least once the fires are set.

Celebration: As the Burning Man nears his entire end, colourful fireworks explode all around him

New scene: The Burning Man's body and structure paints a new picture to the desert city's landscape

Before: An intricately decorated cluster of hallow buildings are seen among the other many lights around it, but which will soon face the flames

After: The buildings are seen before collapsing in complete ruin

Making its mark: Like the Burning Man the buildings' flames also majorly impacted the night sky

Finding the so-called Burning Man perched on the top of his own structure, the people eagerly raise their torches to him.

A wide-shot of the people's achievements in the otherwise ordinarily dark desert captures his demise along with the other structures that goes from a small fire to an engulfing fireball-like blaze.

Once he and the other structures are set, swirling dust and smoke spin out toward the crowds who are seen running to get away among a mix of bobbling balloons and sprays of colourful fireworks.